Bottom photo by Kaya

It doesn’t snow here very often, the last time being 1996. Even then, it was the wet, sleet/slushy kind, not the white fluffy stuff we got this past Friday.

+listening: “Feeling Good” by Muse

I saw a photograph on my tumblr dashboard of the lower half of a girl standing on a rock in the middle of a stream. I liked the concept and decided to use it as basis for a new piece.

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It seems I’ve reached a crossroads conundrum in my artistic endeavors. Being presented recently with a new design opportunity has caused me to reevaluate what it is that I want to do with my talents.

I went to college and pursued Visual Arts because that’s where my passion lies (apparently). I got a degree in Graphic Design so I could get a job (ha!). I minored in Photography because, well, the art curriculum of the college required that I have a minor concentration. But I’ve grown to enjoy that art form as well.

At the end of the day, though, I create things because I can and I enjoy the challenge that comes with the visual problem solving and coming out with a creative and aesthetically pleasing solution. When I see the effect my work has on people, how they enjoy and appreciate it . . . well, that gives me the drive to create more.

This new design venture, though, has me diving back into the world of design. It’s a little scary, slightly overwhelming. After a while, those feeling will pass, and I just have to dive in and see where my skills take me.

Art is never finished, only abandoned.
—Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)

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Just purchased Corinne Bailey Rae‘s new album, The Sea. It is amazing, bittersweet and all around awesome. I also purchased OK Go’s Of the Blue Colour of the Sky. It’s nice and funky. They’ve progressed in their sound, but it’s still distinctive, so it plays like a natural evolution.

I was driving, on my way to the bank and then the optometrist, when a car pulled next to me beeping. The guy on the passenger’s side informs me that my rear right tire was flat. I thought I’d heard a weird sound coming from that side of the vehicle.

So, I turn around and go back home, thinking I can take my sister’s care instead. I get in and start pulling out of the driveway. I shifted into drive and found that the steering wheel was virtually unresponsive. I go back in the house and ask my sister about it, and she tells me (mumbling from under a mound of covers) that maybe it needs more steering wheel fluid, and at my protestations, of course she doesn’t have any available.

So after briefly weighing my options, I decide to just drive my car to get the tire changed. But, guess what? The battery has suddenly died. *head desk*

So, In this instance, it would be great if I knew how to change a tire and jump off a car. :/

It’s been a very dreary day (cold, overcast, raining), but I’m not feeling down, which is great, because last week was probably the worst week of my life in the past five years, which featured employment disappointment, a compromised immune system and—as the icing on the wrecktacular cake—the untimely death of my beloved feline friend Pascal.

Yeah. It was rough.

Last night I set up a store front on Etsy (artgyrlshop.etsy.com) to sell off some of the fan art that I did this past summer. I put up four pieces initially and one has already sold, so that is very encouraging. The funny thing is that it costs money to make money, initially, at least. Once I made the sale, the reality of shipping the item in a timely matter quickly set in. I had planned on mailing it off today, but, because of the weather and the fragile quality of the paper, I did not want to risk taking it outdoors, exposing it to humidity that could cause the paper to curl and wrinkle.

I did go to Alabama Art Supply and purchase some clear plastic sleeves at 35 cents a piece—I bought 10.  So, the art is all sealed up and waiting to be mailed. Now is the task of getting a study cardboard envelope in which to mail it. I don’t have any lying around, unfortunately. Still, I consider all this as a business investment. That feels so weird to say, but it means that I’m getting serious about my craft and publicizing the services I have to offer.

I’ve been thinking about this seriously for the past few weeks, and I will be creating some art pieces specifically for cards and prints. My mother gave me some encouragement when I spoke with her today about my plans. She was helpful in pointing out that I already had a few old graphics that I could easily put on notecards. Hopefully I can start producing these in the next week.

It’s good to get these things sorted out as the new year approaches.

You may also notice some slight changes to the layout of the blog. The new header is the most obvious thing. The old one has been up for about a year now, so I figured it was due for a change. After fighting with WordPress for the better part of 2 hours I finally got the upgrade installed and every thing working properly. There were several moments when I came a hair’s breadth away from taking my frustrations out on my poor MacBook *pets*, but I’m glad it didn’t come to that.

…and then there’s that novel that needs to be finished.

Thank God, for the beautiful, sunny day. I needed it. :)